"Suddenly, three soldiers appeared around me and I saw the Nazi swastikas on their uniforms," he said.

After being taken prisoner, King and others were forced on a two-week 100-mile march to a German camp.

"The Allies had been bombing all the rail lines and I think the Germans wanted to hold on to their prisoners as bargaining chips," King said.

The Nazis allowed the Red Cross to provide some food rations to prisoners. King held tightly to one can of tuna throughout the forced march.

"Each day, I asked myself whether I needed to open that can of tuna," he said. "And each day I told myself I can make it one more day without doing that."

King lost over 50 pounds during his two months in captivity before Gen. George S. Patton's forces closed in on the Germans and forced them to flee.

The resiliency King exhibited was the topic of Pastor Clint Roberts' sermons as well as a number of speeches King has given to Naperville school children.

After the war, King married, had a family and enjoyed a career with BP Global, the former Amoco.

As an active community volunteer since the 1970s, King served nearly three decades with Naperville Crime Stoppers and five years with Community Radio Watch. King doesn't fly very often any more and spends much of his time having dinner with friends, attending the theatre and playing bridge.

Sue Johnpeter is a writer who has worked as a newspaper reporter, a computer instructor for District 203 and as the author of the Naperville Now blog.

"Writing this book has been all-consuming, fascinating, heart-breaking, fulfilling and my honor," Johnpeter said. "I want people to know and remember Glenn King because he has earned it through his service and his actions throughout his life, not just in wartime. It's been my privilege to help him tell his story."

Johnpeter said one reason she felt compelled to help King write his book was because her father was a bombardier instructor during the war.

"There were so many people who had it so much worse than I did," King said. "I didn't want to go out tooting my horn about how tough my ordeal was."

When asked about the underlying message of his story, King paused for several seconds to gather his thoughts.

Naperville North Principal Stephanie Posey cautioned that much of the high school building was still a work in progress Wednesday as she strolled past rows of desks and chairs stacked in the hallways and sign after sign alerting passersby of "wet paint."

Weeks after Naperville North graduate Matt Prozialeck filled in with blues group Erin Harpe and the Delta Swingers on their U.S. tour, they've asked the harmonica player to join them permanently, he said.